125 Broken Bonds

It was Seth, that much they knew. However, for some reason, this one looked much more sinister than the one they have been talking to before. They watched as he took in the surroundings, trying to assimilate everything.

"Who are you?" It was a stupid question, that much they understood. Still, there was this nagging feeling in the back of their minds that told them they were in front of a different person than before, even if they looked identical. Well, that was if you didn't take into account how he, for some reason, looked more feral, with two pairs of fangs and his pupils becoming slit. They also noticed his nails becoming sharper.

Hearing their voice, 'Seth' stopped looking around and gazed upon the other individual in this dark world. Immediately, his eyes brightened in mad delight, sending shivers down their spine.

"I am we, and we are I." Okay, it was official. It wasn't only his eyes the thing that made them shiver; it was also his voice. How he managed to do that with the same one he had been using until now, they didn't know.

"...That doesn't answer my question." Even if it was hard, they still uttered those words. To say his gaze was uncomfortable was an understatement. It was like a predator enjoying as his prey struggled.

"Stupidity seems to run strong in your family. I am Chaos, and we are Order. If your fucking corpse of a head still doesn't register it, I am instinct, and we are the reason." Setting aside all the insults which, for sure, angered them, they at least managed to understand some things. For starters, he had a strange way to address the previous Seth that was with them before, doing so with a 'we.'

Moving on, and ignoring his foul language, there was something else she noticed. He mentioned he was instinct, making them realize some things, but also confuse them at the same time. "Shouldn't you be...mad? Also, stop looking at me like you are going to eat me! It's creepy and gross!" What started as a meek question turned into an outburst.

Seth raised an eyebrow, genuine surprise coursing through his eyes. "Gutsy, aren't we? It's been so long since my food dared to fight back." As soon as he said that, his mouth morphed into a sadistic grin. "But that makes the hunting game more enoyable~."

It seemed something occurred that they were unaware of because his grin curved downward in a possible sign of annoyment. "I understand, I understand. Just shut up."

Well, at least that confirmed he was still a little insane if he was talking to himself. Not that they would say it out loud. Something was unsettling about the man before them. Even if they knew they could kill him effortlessly at this stage, there was something that set alarms bells whenever they thought of that. It wasn't easy to explain. There was also the fact that they didn't want to kill the only person they could talk with freely.

Seth turned to the floating orbs, which at this point were glowing more intensely in excitement. The annoyment in his face contorting into disdain. "Missed me, you pieces of garbage?"

...There was no doubt now these two were different from each other at this point, not that they expected otherwise. The absurd thing was seeing the orbs glow even more as if the insult just made them happier.

'I would say I didn't expect it, but then I would be lying.' For now, the only thing they could do was resist the urge to roll their eyes. "Why do you need these souls for anything, and how is it that they obey you more than the other you?"

"Why do you keep asking so many fucking questions? Don't you have anything else to do?" Okay, the urge was too strong, they had to roll their eyes.

"Because I wanted to know and helped you with it, so be grateful for once!" It seemed the apprehension was only due to the initial surprise. By the looks of it, they now regained their original courage.

"..." Seth only watched them with narrowed eyes. The only reason he wasn't trying to beat the fuck up out of them was that Order had most of the influence in their body. However, that had its perks nonetheless. The main one being he still got to keep his sanity intact. As much as he relished in the suffering of others, it was pointless if he wasn't conscious to enjoy it.

"...Very well, I shall humor you." He said after some time. As things were going, the corpse would keep asking questions if he didn't clarify some things a bit. "You see, our new Noble Phantasm is a bit special. Its capabilities are so unfair that it requires multiple complicated preparations."

Using the hand that was not using their shoulder as support, he raised one finger. "The first, the souls of these worms need to act as the fuel for it to work. Think of it as if it was a machine; I suppose you don't have trouble picturing that."

Without waiting for them, he continued. "The second, ruins of an ancient city. The clown that takes home inside of us knows where to find one here, so that's not a problem."

Finally, he raised a third finger. "The third and last, I have to link my life to it. If it dies, we and I die. That's all there is to it. Are you going to cease with your stupid questions now?"

A surprised expression adorned the silent figure. Ignoring his question, they muttered something under their breath. "Linking your life to something as fickle as that is tantamount to suicide..."

'You are lucky I can think straight or I would have ripped your head off for ignoring me.' He didn't have time for this bullshit. It was best to commence and be done with it. Staying a second longer in this place was going to make him lose the sanity he so painstakingly obtained after waiting for thousands of years.

"Let's commence, you worthless slaves." As if responding to his words, the orbs slowly transformed into people of varied ages. Same as with their previous forms, their skin was shining in a golden color.

The first thing they did after attaining that form was kneeling and looking at Seth with adoration and happiness. It brought no small amount of confusion and disbelief to the Ruler of the Underworld next to him.

"Our Pharaoh!"

"You are back!"

"I knew this day would come!"

Multiple shouts resounded the area, and if they didn't know better, they would think those souls were a bunch of cultists greeting their leader.

"I am probably the very last person who should be saying this, but that's borderline creepy." Whatever specific thing they said, it seemed to have returned him his sadistic grin.

"What is creepy? This is just how things work! The weak grovel before the strong, and if they put a smile on their face, we might give them mercy, or torture them more, depending on your preferences, that is." The excitement on his voice was...unsettling.

'So he is one of those types who get off through the suffering of others? Talk about different personalities...' Still, the most bizarre thing was how the souls seemed to take his words as praise if their beaming expressions were anything to go by at all.

"Just finish already, I am pretty tired." The only answer they got was a snort, not that they minded it. It was much more preferable to talk with the other Seth, or 'Order' as he called him. As reckless as he was, he at least was not a megalomaniac.

Black miasma emerged from Seth's feet and rushed to where the souls were. As soon as it made contact with the first one, the substance began to erode them. Judging from the expression of that soul, a woman who was well past her prime, it was extremely painful. However, it didn't utter a cry, even going as far as to show a peaceful look in the end.

The same situations repeated over and over again, forcing the individual to look away. As someone tasked with keeping souls for eternity, it wasn't a pleasant sight. No matter if the souls that came to their domain were 'dirty.'

It was only after the figure felt the miasma recede that they dared to look back. The moment they did, they were basked in a majestic sight that disappeared as quickly as it came. The only thing they managed to glimpse was a golden city that seemed to want to defy their Authority.

'...Considering how he said its capabilities were unfair, I fear it may do some taboo things...'

"Finally. Now the only thing remaining is finding those ruins. I can't wait to hunt some delicious snakes~. Hey, corpse. Don't you agree that trampling over schemers with a crushing force is the be—"

"...What? You froze all of sudden. And if you call me corpse once again I will make sure you go back worse than the way you came here."

Their threat went unanswered as Seth only stared ahead. Whatever he had seen must have been pretty shocking for him to keep that grin of his even when his eyes were slowly widening.

Following his line of sight, they also felt some shock. A little farther back from where the previous souls used to be, two others still remained. These ones, however, were orbs like they had been initially. The only differences were the size and brightness of the glow, which wasn't much, to say the least.

Looking back at him, he seemed like he didn't know how to react. For a megalomaniac like him, the fact those two weak souls survived whatever he did, it must be crushing his pride greatly. Hah! Serves him right.

The reason for their survival eluded even them, but one thing was for sure. If he tried anything again against those two souls then the Underworld Ruler would interfere. 'Although...their sizes remind me of—'

Before they could finish their train of thought, Seth stepped forward. Because he was using them as support to stand up, they also moved with him. As if afraid, the two orbs shakily retreated a few centimeters.

The strange thing was that Seth also stopped the moment they did so, bringing no small amount of confusion to the individual beside him. At this point, his sadistic grin was replaced by a troubled and...anxious look? They must be going crazy, no doubt about it.

After a few moments, he decided to speak to them. "Come here, I am not going to hurt you." Yeah, right. What's next? Him and those two being...being...be...ing...

The Keeper of Souls' eyes widened. Looking back and forth between the parties in question, the shock only increased. 'I fucked up. I never should have taken those souls out...'

Seeing no response other than trembling, he got angry. Because that was the only way he knew to cope with unexpected situations. Unfortunately, it worked against his favor. The two souls trembled and distanced themselves from him even more.

"Stop it. The only thing you are doing is scaring them more than they already are. You should know they are only able to feel, not think." After a long sigh, they decided to give him some advice, even if he hadn't been the nicest person around. That it involved the Seth they were most comfortable with, played an important part as well.

"Shut up! What do you know?! Nobody wants to touch you because you are as ugly as the Underworld you rule! What can you possibly understand?!" Those words cut deeper than any knife, especially coming from him. However, they understood he didn't mean those words and was just confused. Or at least...they hoped so.

"...Leave for now. Maybe later you would understand." They didn't have anything more to say, nor they wanted to say more. 'Nothing would change with him being as agitated as he is.'

"Tch. I was tired of this fucking place anyway. If it concerns me, I am never coming back here." Saying those words, he pushed them aside, and before he fell to the ground, he disappeared.

For a moment that felt like an eternity, the figure remained rooted in their place. Exhaling a sigh, they sat on the ground while looking at the sky. It wasn't long before the two souls approached them slowly. If they wanted to comfort the Keeper of Souls or be comforted by them instead, only they knew.

Lowering their gaze, they managed to squeeze a smile, although it seemed a bit forced. "This is what it feels like to have a fight...can't say it feels particularly pleasant."

The souls glowed slightly brighter, seemingly trying to cheer them up, making their smile a bit more real. "Don't worry about me, or how he spoke to you two. He loves you both; it's just that he doesn't know how to express it. At least that part of him doesn't."

The glow dimmed a bit. Understanding it as them having doubts, the individual spoke a bit further. "Trust me on that. There's no way he hates you. After all...he is your father."